Installing Activator II Brake Controller, Part # 5500 on 1995 Chevy Pickup  

Question:

Expert Reply:

Brake Controllers are not vehicle specific, the Acitvator II would work great on your vehicle.

Your 1995 Chevy does not include the provision for plugging in the controller under the dash, so the unit must be hardwired.

We offer a Brake Controller Install Kit, part # ETBC6 includes the 6-way connector, or the ETBC7 includes the 7-way. The install kit includes all necessary parts for installing your brake controller, including the trailer connector and all needed hardware, circuit breakers, even zip ties for keeping the wiring tucked away neatly.

In addition to the Install Kit, you will also need a T-1 Vehicle Wiring Harness, part # 118315, to tap into your trucks lighting circuits for the trailer to use (if your truck does not have the 4-way connector).

Some of the wiring for the brake controller might already be in place. Take a look under the rear of the vehicle, looking for an orange and a blue wire which would be located on the drivers side frame rail. The blue wire carries the brake output from the brake controller, and the orange wire is a circuit protected 12V power supply for any trailer accessories you might have. The orange and blue wires at the rear of the truck would attach to the appropriate poles on the 6-way or 7-way trailer connector installed on the rear bumper. The other end of these wires can be found in the engine compartment, under the master cylinder. Follow the brake lines down to where they start to turn under the cab, and look for a bundle of wires wrapped up with electrical tape. The orange wire would be extended and ran to the positive battery terminal via the 40 amp circuit breaker included in the install kit. The blue brake output wire would be extended and ran through the firewall to attach to the blue wire on the brake controller. Please note: any time you run wire through the firewall, make sure the opening you use has a grommet, to prevent the metal from cutting the wire and shorting out.

Once you have the controller mounted, the blue wire would attach to the wire that you have run through the firewall, the black wire would run through the firewall and attach to the positive battery terminal, using either the 20 or 30 amp circuit breaker included in the install kit. (The instructions included with your brake controller will tell you which to use). The white brake controller wire would run through the firewall and attach to the negative battery terminal. The red wire would attach to the brake stoplight switch.

In your particular model year truck, the stoplight switch is extremely hard to access, we typically recommend accessing the circuit through the main wiring harness located under the steering column. The necessary wire is either light blue or white in color and when probed with a circuit tester such as part # 40376, will only show voltage when the brake pedal is applied. Tap your red brake controller wire into that circuit. Now that was not so bad, was it?

expert reply by: Mike L

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